I know, I know. Another what tyres 🙄

I’m using the On-One combo in 2.4/2.25 dual compound at about 28psi each tubeless and while I like them for descents I want something lighter with more shoulder. I also find the Smorgasbord in the rear feels draggy but likes to let go pretty easily which I’m used to but don’t necessarily like.

I’m in Sheffield so ride the Dark side (in both senses), cut resistance is important which is another pro of the Chunk/Smorg. I’m thinking of going for 2.25ish both ends as 2.4 feels secure but a bit OTT.

Over to you

Posted 6 years ago

Rubber queens. (The proper black chilli ones though) do me nicely in the peaks and just about every where else I ride…

Posted 6 years ago

High roller II
Bonty mud x
Conti Barron
Maxis advantage

All Work fine for me

Posted 6 years ago

Hans dampf.

Posted 6 years ago

Hans Dampf on the rocks (Mish Moneypenny)

Posted 6 years ago

UST BC RQ 2.2 23/28.

Posted 6 years ago

RQ have a strong reputation but are on the heavy side for my trail/XC/mincecore.

I loved Mud Xs when I was in the South but they seem a bit small/vulnerable for round here. I kept them on well into Summer in Brighton as it’s so claggy there.

ADvantages were good in the past, considering these again but in 60 rather than 70a. I’ll look into the Baron and HD.

Thanks for the replies so far, anyone using anything else?

Posted 6 years ago

Black chili mountain king 2.2

Posted 6 years ago

a(rather odd combo) Muddy Mary 2.35 up front and a racing ralph pacestar 2.25 out back. Fast, grippy and funn 😀

Posted 6 years ago

2.5 Minion DHF EXO / 2.25 Ardent EXO. Both run tubeless on Flows. The 2.5 Minion sizes more like a big 2.35 btw, the Ardent seems about true to size. Or a 2.35 Ikon on the back if you want fast. Peak local btw.

Posted 6 years ago

Standard 2.35 High Rollers for Dartmoor, ~30psi up front, bit less on the back run semi-ghetto tubeless. I’m sure there’s better/faster/tougher/lighter etc but they’re fit and forget.

Posted 6 years ago

In the lakes here. 2.3 WTB bronsons all year round.

Posted 6 years ago

Keep the Chunky Monkey on the front and swap the Smorg for an Ardent EXO 2.25 (which is what I run). I tried a Smorg on the back & couldn’t get along with it, didn’t feel particularly grippy and was draggy like you’ve said.

Posted 6 years ago

Spesh Purgatory control on the rear.

Posted 6 years ago

Panaracer Rampage – F, Cinder – R when I had a hard tail

Currently running CM -F and a Nevegal – R on the FS. Going to be needing new soon though and will try Butcher – F and Purgatory – R as that combo gets decent reviews

Posted 6 years ago

Softer trails in the Dark Peak are mud-city right now – been a warm winter.
Purgatory (back) and a high roller (front) on the FS atm, fine, but I’d prob stick some RQs on if I had newer rims – running some ancient 819s.

Posted 6 years ago

Bonty xr4 2.35 up front and a 2.35 high roller at the back.

Marple is a quagmire at the moment though and the xr4 is a bit squirmy in the wet stuff when you’re on the flat. Grips fine on the muddy downs though.

Posted 6 years ago

So there you have it. You’re non the wiser now.

Posted 6 years ago

I use Maxxis crossmarks for rocky rides in the Peak, but they’re rubbish in mud.

Posted 6 years ago

Scottish Borders. Loving the sticky Chunky Monkey up front, paired with an Ardent on the back.

Posted 6 years ago

Hello up in t’north! As you know I normally ride in the soft south but the hardtail’s come with me to a fair few rocky places. And the answer is Rubber Queen aka Trail King 2.2 Protection.

My library of comparative tyre comparisons suggests that they’re faster rolling than the On-One combo – in the dry they roll as quick as a Mud-X but have a ton more grip. In the mud they’re draggier than the Mud-X but have comparable driving and braking grip and more cornering grip.

They’re high volume for their width so great in the rocks. They are sticky, like 50a or stickier but roll like 60a or quicker. The tread is freakishly long-lasting which easily offsets the high price (cheaper from Germany) – I had them on for a year before I thought I’d try some mud tyres last month (Baron & Mud-X) and there is very little wear on them. Their only weak points are they need a reasonably wide rim because of their high volume, in properly loose conditions they could do with slightly taller edge knobs and I gather the non-Protection or UST ones have a flimsy carcass. They’ll be going back on as soon as the weather turns!

I’ve had the old XR4s too and they were similarly voluminous but the carcass was less tough, the compound less sticky, the braking/driving grip worse, and they wore quicker and the edge knobs deformed under hard cornering so they drifted sooner. The Purgatory 2.3 isn’t quite as voluminous, isn’t as sticky but is less heavy going in the mud.

A slower rolling alternative with more edge grip but less volume or tread life is the Butcher Control 2.3 – better as a front than a rear. If you don’t mind possibly watching sealant leak out for weeks then the Baron is a great front tyre for looser conditions with even stickier rubber. Lower volume and the carcass isn’t as tough because they don’t do a Protection or UST.

If you have the frame clearance and value grip highly but still want a tyre that doesn’t drag horribly I think the RQ 2.2 BC UST / Protection is as close to the perfect hardtail rear tyre as it gets. And when it’s more rock or dirt than mud or loose loan it’s equally good on the front. I don’t know if they still sell the BC UST version – I have a spare set for when these wear out because they’re so good – it might have been replaced by the Protection version now they’ve made the name less amusing for 2014; anyway, the UST carcass has a really nice feel on the back of a hardtail, it still rolls well but it has this wonderful self-damping more like a thicker heavier tyre that makes the back end feel noticeably less fidgety when you’re pinning it.

Sales pitch over! 😉

P.S. Do I win a prize for the longest post about one tyre?

Posted 6 years ago

Used to be RQ’s- Brilliant
Currently Bontrager XR4 Team Issue – Very Good
Will be returning to RQ’s, Black Chili, Really looking forward to trying them Tubeless this time round.

Posted 6 years ago

So there you have it. You’re non the wiser now.

😆

Now then! I reached saturation point but stuck to my guns:

1. Sidewall protection.
2. More shoulder, but faster rolling centre.
3. TLR if poss.
4. Not Schwalbe due to de-lamination from sealant.
5. Under 700g if poss.
6. 719 rim friendly so probably <2.3.

I went for XR4 Team in 2.2 both ends. Advertised 685g, 706g actual and sealed up dead easily like the Mud XRs I had on for a long time back in the South.

Al, you definitely win post-of-the-thread for your RQ jubilee. Alas I’m being a weenie and they seem too heavy as well as being quite pricey. I may be back with my tail between my legs in a few months for a taste of the black chilli.

I was very closely considering; ADvantage/Ardent, ADvantage x2 (had this, was alright), Ground Control x2 (lack of shoulder put me off), GC & Purg (probably 2nd option), Onza Canis & Ibex (like a Ralph 7 HR), XR4 & XR3.

Thanks all, it’s been educational 😀

Posted 6 years ago

I used to use some skinny michelin XC Mud back when I was young and fearless, and 200g tubes to stop them puncturing. Continental used to get shredded in no time, are they better now? Maxxis highroller would be my ‘lightweight’ choice, purgatory or eskar would be a bit tougher as theyre designed for tubeless.

Posted 6 years ago

6. 719 rim friendly so probably <2.3.

If you’d mentioned that earlier I could have saved a lot of typing! 😉

The new XR4s look good, should be pretty quick even if they don’t have as much grip as I prefer.

Posted 6 years ago

Just did Edale loop – Mam Tor-Rushup Edge-Jacobs – this afternoon on my Sanderson Life. Running Ardent on the front and Crossmark on the back. Felt fine on wet, slippy and steep sections of rock, but as mentioned above the Crossmark are rubbish in the mud.

Posted 6 years ago

Just put a maxxis beaver 2.25 exo on the back of the Stanton, it fails on your weight requirement at 750g but I find the exo casing pretty sturdy, I’ve put a small hole in one of the 4 exo tyres I’ve had and used them all for full on dh, my local jumpy stuff and loads of trail riding. I’m pretty hard on tyres for the record.

Posted 6 years ago

Oh and the beavers are (or were earlier in the week) £23 at stif.

Posted 6 years ago

stevede, how do the 2.25 beavers size up compared to the 2.25 ardent/ advantage 2.25’s + are they draggy or fast rolling? Cheers

Posted 6 years ago

Currently Dampfs (TS front/PS rear), tubeless. They’re a little big on my Soul (chainstays) so I’m seriously considering Nics in 2.25. Living in Sheff and usually in the Dark Peak when riding locally.

Often run Cinders in 2.25 through summer and used to use FireXCpros for everything – still got them on my Cham which is hiding in the sandstone and mud slopfest that is The North Yorkshire Moors and they’re still very effective up there – I’d be happy with them down here again I think.

Oh, and Razes on my CX which I take up the Dark Peak too…

Posted 6 years ago

not the Peaks, but the limestone mountains of the Bavarian Alps…. generally plenty of rocks around.

High Roller II Exo, F&R. 3c sticky up front, 60a on the rear. no problems so far and have had them on for two years now. have swapped them for Conti Kaiser if using the lift all day.

used RQ-BC 2.4s in Gran Canaria. found they don’t stand up well to sharp rocks very well.

have split two Schwable Fat Alberts in the Alps, too.

Posted 6 years ago

twang – first ride will be tomorrow, will be racing 4x on it so will be able to tell you how fast rolling it is at the end of the day! Sizes up properly like most of the newer maxxis tyres now do, it’s bigger than an old 2.35 high roller that’s for sure. It’s a decent volume for a rear hardtail tyre and the tread looks like it’ll clear and its a 60a so shouldn’t be too draggy.

Posted 6 years ago

Been riding in the Peak for over 10 yrs now and back when I had a HT and wasn’t enlightened to STW and the need for different tires for different days of the week, I was using Panaracer a Rampage on the front and Panaracer Cinder on the rear. Once they were knackered I moved to Nevegals and didn’t have any problems with either really.

Currently got a CM on the front and a Nevegal on the rear

Posted 6 years ago

Hans Dampf F/R on the hardtail
Hans Dampf front and Mountain King rear on the FS

The HDs are massive, draggy most of the time and probably overkill. But I do like the cushioning they give and the nice predictable mud drifting. The mountain kings are basically the same, but a bit smaller. Both have pretty decent sidewalls and relatively low weight:carcass size.

Neither of them are particularly good as winter tyres but I’m not a perpetual tyre changer so I just use the same all year round.

Currently Dampfs (TS front/PS rear), tubeless. They’re a little big on my Soul (chainstays) so I’m seriously considering Nics in 2.25. Living in Sheff and usually in the Dark Peak when riding locally.

The 2.25 Nics are TINY compared to HDs. I hated the nics – if you’ve been getting on with the HDs then I suggest Conti Mountain Kings as above. The same sort of tyre as HDs but not quite so oversized.

I’m also in Sheffield / dark peak.

Posted 6 years ago